Name/Title
Sitz BathEntry/Object ID
1978.49.1Description
Tin sitz bath. The interior is yellow, and the exterior is green.Use
A sitz bath, also known as a hip bath, is a small tub that submerges the bather’s hips and pelvis rather than the entire body. Commonly made of tin and often painted green, the sitz bath was invented in 1842 as part of the Water Cure practice—also known as hydropathy—established by doctors James Wilson (1807–1867) and James Gully (1808–1883). This practice used natural spring water of various temperatures to treat ailments of the lower body such as digestive issues, hemorrhoids, uterine cramping, inflammatory bowel disease, and obstructions. To enhance comfort, the interior of the tub was lined with linen towels, protecting the bather from the metal, especially if the water was heated.Context
In 1844, widow Keziah Goodwyn Hopkins Brevard (1803–1886) inherited two plantations in Richland County from her father, James Hopkins (1774–1884). While she managed both sites—Oldfield Plantation and the newly named Brevard Place—she resided at the latter. By the early 1860s, Keziah enslaved over 209 individuals. Around that same time, Keziah kept a diary, later published as “A Plantation Mistress on the Eve of the Civil War,” which reflected her views on slavery as a necessary evil. Aside from those she enslaved, Keziah managed and lived at Brevard Place alone, aside from a brief period when her half-sister, Sarah Hall (1791–1867)—also a childless widow—lived with her following her release from the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum.
After Keziah’s death in 1868, Brevard Place passed to the daughters of her half-nephew, Governor James Hopkins Adams (1812–1861). In 1903, Caroline Hopkins Adams LeConte (1850–1935) purchased the property at auction. Family lore suggests she renamed it "Alwehav," referencing that it took "all we have" to acquire the property. While the structures no longer stand, the property remains in the hands of descendants and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. According to the donor, a descendant and previous owner of Alwehav, this sitz bath was salvaged from the site.Dimensions
Width
27 inDepth
14 inLength
30 inRelationships
Related Places
Place
Location
Alwehav PlantationState/Province
South Carolina